On the continuum of superhero films, the many iterations of Spiderman are generally on the lighter side of adventure storytelling. But the last live action movie Spider-man: No Way Home ended with high school superhero Peter Parker sacrificing his closest relationships to save the world. Losing everything and starting over alone sounds like a bleak premise for our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. However, Spider-man: Brand New Day, lives up to its title with a fresh start, a well-paced new adventure, and plenty of unexpected plot twists which make the story fun from start to finish.
The story begins with Spiderman / Peter Parker (Tom Holland) living a loner life as a full time superhero. He no longer has his beloved parental figure Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). And, his besties MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) don’t remember him due to the memory wipe caused by No Way Home’s mind-bending cosmic reset. Although Peter and MJ were deeply in love and he promised to come back and find them in the new reality, he loses his nerve and decides to remain alone in his continuing protection of the city as Spiderman. MJ and Ned go on to their successful college lives at MIT, complete with parties and another love interest for MJ. Although Spiderman is an elusive and well liked superhero, the human being Peter Parker is non-existent to those he once loved. His only emotional connections in his new reality are a tough (but somewhat motherly) police detective Jean (Liza Colon-Zayas) who partners with him on crime fighting and his antagonist / frenemy Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) aka the Punisher. However, Peter’s hybrid spider DNA is evolving and his internalized stress from his traumatic loss is adversely affecting him physically as he struggles to make peace within himself. He turns to Professor Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) for advice on suppressing his animal side and Bruce questions whether that is always the right thing to do although he concedes he must do it to control the Hulk creature inside him. But no superhero film is complete without a villain. Adding to the complications is an invisible creature who is taking control of other villains (and sometimes civilians) in an attempt to steal a mysterious item from the government entity known as Damage Control. Peter has to battle this unknowable enemy with an equally unknown goal while battling to keep his own evolving powers in check and dealing with the unbearable grief of losing everything.
It’s been a while since a superhero film delivered the perfect combination of what we love in hero stories: adventure, emotion, and thoughtful messaging. Spider-man: Brand New Day is a delight to watch from start to finish because it delivers in all of these areas. In a period of often excessively bloated run times, Brand New Day, doesn’t waste time with unnecessary content. Every scene is solid, entertaining, and moves the ever twisting plot forward. The acting is effortlessly excellent with three of the leads, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal, fresh from their equally impressive (and somewhat similar) roles in The Odyssey. They are joined by television powerhouses Liza Colon-Zayas of the multi-Emmy winning series The Bear and Emmy winner Trammell Tillman of Severance. We also have Sadie Sink of Stranger Things who is an unexpected treat. Liza Colon-Zayas is excellent as a tough, pragmatic detective who becomes a substitute parental figure for Peter. She is the only one who checks in on Peter as a person and she is the only one who is both strong and sensitive enough to speak truth to him, even when he doesn’t want to hear it. Trammell Tillman’s Emmy winning performance on Severance transitions perfectly to his role in Brand New Day, where he delivers the same corporate bureaucracy with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Sadie Sink provides both power and vulnerability in her role. The film initially seems like it will be a story of regaining a lost love and defeating the villain. But it turns into a much more meaningful story about community, compassion, and family in all its definitions.
Despite being two hours and twenty-five minutes long, Brand New Day swings through the adventure with refreshing intensity, as well as thoughtful, twisty storytelling. In recent years, many films drag themselves through a nearly three hour presentation in a way that can leave viewers repeatedly checking their watches rather than being truly immersed. In Brand New Day the story is taut, focused, and well-paced. There is no long exposition on how Peter is earning a living or who all of the side villains or shadowy government agencies are. It’s clear this film is trying to tell a different type of story. Of course, the big action scenes are present and are over the top with plenty of explosions, flipped cars, and near death moments that require a willing suspension of disbelief regarding the controlled amount of carnage, casualties, and not completely toppled buildings. However, the usual trope of the McGuffin / “magic thing” that needs to be captured to win all the power is inverted and reimagined in a way that is so well done. As a result, the film asks some unexpected questions about power, identity, and exploitation that lead back to a meaningful exploration of larger social themes. Spider-man: Brand New Day balances all of the adventure elements without sacrificing thoughtful storytelling and emotional connection. And, by the last act of the film, viewers will be rethinking everything. In a good way.
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The Math
Nerd Coefficient: 8/10
Highlights:
Nerd Coefficient: 8/10
Highlights:
- Excellent characters and acting
- Well-paced, meaningful storytelling
- Entertaining and satisfying
